New York Just Killed Its Robotaxi Plan. The Real Problem Isn't the Technology
10 points
1 hour ago
| 5 comments
| phyware.io
| HN
catsquirrel28
12 minutes ago
[-]
> Imagine the conversation New York legislators could have had if every robotaxi ride generated a cryptographically signed, tamper-evident record of the vehicle's behavior — independently verifiable by any regulator, auditor, or safety agency.

This is putting the cart before the horse. The problem with autonomous vehicles is that there's no standardized third party test suite to validate and certify ahead of time and periodically that the vehicles are capable of behaving correctly in all road conditions even with their sensors degraded as will happen over time.

This kind of validation should be done by the state or a neutral third party like UL in the US before a single vehicle is allowed on public roads.

Without it they're just unleashing multi-ton weapons on the streets with no guarantee they'll perform adequately. The problems with this were evident in SF when the blackout happened and the Waymos clogged up the roadways. If that happens during a real emergency and blocks the roadways it could result in thousands of deaths.

Autonomous vehicles are a bad idea anyway for the reasons in this video[1].

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=040ejWnFkj0

reply
Zigurd
23 minutes ago
[-]
The article somewhat strangely proposes a technology solution to a problem that they claim isn't a technology problem. Disclosure and reporting regulations can be enacted that don't need a technology element other than what vehicles already have installed.
reply
cogman10
18 minutes ago
[-]
Yup. If someone vomits in a vehicle, it's not the lack of a blockchain detailing the vomit event which is the problem.

That's the actual trust issue.

reply
dzdt
25 minutes ago
[-]
I had aasumed the plan was killed for cynical political motivations, the same as apparantly caused the hangup and Hochul's near killing of NYC congestion pricing. Its really hard to gather evidence about what is the motivation for things though...
reply
thaumasiotes
14 minutes ago
[-]
> Its really hard to gather evidence about what is the motivation for things though...

It can be, but it can also be hard to know where you should look.

https://tylervigen.com/the-mystery-of-the-bloomfield-bridge

reply
amelius
22 minutes ago
[-]
> PhyWare is a data platform for autonomous systems, and we're building it specifically to close this gap.

Why isn't Google/Waymo building it. Sounds like they are much better equipped for it.

reply
chris_money202
6 minutes ago
[-]
They likely are, but say I have a fleet of Waymos and Teslas. I’ll need two separate systems for telemetry, safety, and compliance.

There’s also the problem of independent evidence when incidents happen. Insurers, OEM, operators, and possibly the public should all have the same view of data and can trust its presented honestly and in its entirety. Phyware systems prevent tamper and Phyware itself has no stakes in the game, all the data is provided as captured.

reply
cynicalsecurity
22 minutes ago
[-]
Save yourself time reading it, it's just a shameless plug for some SaaS service.

The only reason why Waymo was denied access to New York is they haven't given a bribe big enough that the city government requested. That's it. As soon as Waymo gives they bribe they requested they'll be in New York.

reply
chris_money202
12 minutes ago
[-]
Plausible take, but what about when a humanoid violates its rule and causes massive damage in a warehouse? Who pays? Who provides the evidence of what happened?
reply
Yossarrian22
33 seconds ago
[-]
Who does those things today?
reply